


of our to be, which was our long ago

by obsceme



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Boys In Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fourth of July, Frottage, M/M, Oral Sex, Post-Season/Series 03 Fix-It, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Soft boys being soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-15 02:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19601380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsceme/pseuds/obsceme
Summary: Soft promises ofI love you, I love you, I’ll always love youfall from Steve’s lips without him fully realizing it. Billy holds him close, pressed tightly against him, like he’s guarding his most prized possession.In a way, he is. Billy owns Steve’s heart. Always will. Steve had come to terms with that long ago.(post-season 3 fix-it for these two soft boys, because this is how season 3 should've gone.)





	of our to be, which was our long ago

**Author's Note:**

> title is from the poem reunited by ella wheeler wilcox.
> 
> damn sarah, back at it again with the sappy harringrove fics. but hey, it's necessary. chicken soup for the destroyed soul. can i hear a WAHOO?? anyway. i'm going insane, don't mind me. just read and enjoy. also unbeta'd, you all already know what's up.

_July 4, 1985_

“Oh, fuck - shit, he needs - pressure. You have to - put pressure, the wounds - they’re gonna - it’s not -”

Rambling incoherently. It’s all he’s succeeding in doing. There’s a shiny puddle of sludge pooling across the linoleum floors. Blood and goo. Black goo, like tar. Soaking Steve's hands, dripping down his forearms.

Steve isn’t a fucking doctor. Billy needs a doctor, he needs - there are a lot of things he needs. _A doctor, a helping hand, someone to care for him_. El and Max, they kneel beside Billy’s body, next to Steve. She tries her hardest. El really does. Tries to will his wounds to knit back together with her mind.

It doesn’t work. But she still tries. Tries until Steve covers her forearm with a trembling hand, shaking his head. Max collapses against Billy’s chest, her little fists slamming downwards as she sobs. Grasps Billy’s limp body, shaking him, screaming. Begging him to come back.

July 4th, 1985. A day of misery, plain and simple.

The closest to Hell they’ve ever gotten. 

* * *

_July 4, 1986_

The sun sinks low behind the trees lining the Byers’ backyard. Steve’s beer is tepid at best, a flat, warm swill that results in a grimace with each sip. He dumps the remnants into the grass, tossing his empty into the trash.

“Cooler’s empty,” Hopper says. “The one out front might have a few more.”

All of the drinks have sunk to the bottom of the other cooler, the ice half-melted, resulting in a box of icy slush. Steve is up to his elbow in ice, flinching at the cold, when he hears it.

A car, growling up the dirt drive. Steve turns. Feels his stomach flip-flop. The Camaro comes to a stop, but it’s another a minute or so before anyone steps out. 

Max bolts out of the house a moment later, her feet kicking up clouds of dirt in their wake. She flings her arms around her brother, eyes squeezed shut. “Thanks for coming back,” Steve thinks he hears her mumble.

When their eyes meet, Steve’s world tilts. Doesn’t think, just walks forward. It feels like he’s moving in slow motion. The next thing he knows, he’s being pulled into a hug along with Max. 

Steve doesn’t remember crying, but the shoulder of Billy’s shirt is damp when he pulls back. 

“You look better,” Steve comments, later, when they’re all out back, watching the kids fuck around with fireworks. 

Mike is chasing El around with a sparkler, her little shrieks echoing around the yard. Will sits off to the side with a boy Steve has already forgotten the name of - but to be fair, he’d only been told it once. It’s a cute scene regardless, watching them make eyes at each other, both of them pretending like they’re not. A very familiar scene, if Steve is being honest.

Billy looks over at Steve. Gives him a crooked smile. “Been a good year.”

“How’s your mom?”

“Good. She’s good. In recovery, going to group. Been helping her out at the house.”

Steve smiles. He remembers the pictures Billy sent a few months back. El was right, she was pretty. Beautiful. _Just like her son_ , a voice whispers, soft and secret. 

It warms his heart, knowing Billy has his mom back. Steve hates Neil, almost as much as Billy does. For the abuse he’d forced both Billy and his mother to endure, and for permanently dumping Billy’s mother off at a rehab facility upon discovering her drug addiction. Leaving Billy alone with no one to care for him. To love him. 

“Catch any of those California waves?”

“Every day, pretty boy.”

Steve’s heart sings. Those two little words always make him dizzy. There was a time when they were meant to hurt, but now they’re just. Endearing. Hopeful.

They watch the sunset together. Hopper grills burgers and hot dogs, while Joyce helps the kids set off the bigger fireworks farther away from the house. Billy watches the fireworks with a smile. Steve just watches Billy.

Much later, with several beers in him, Billy chases Steve around the yard with those stupid little Pop-Its. Cackles like an idiot every time one pops at Steve’s feet, making him leap a foot into the air with a yelp. 

“You’re such an _ass_!” Steve pants out between each yelp, but he’s laughing. Hard. Enough to make his stomach hurt.

Max joins in on the fun. Pops one right between Billy’s legs. He stumbles backward with a laugh, stumbling right into Steve. They both topple to the ground. 

Steve lands on his back, Billy falling on top of him with a soft _oof_. Their eyes meet, and a long stretch of silence follows. Both of them panting, smiling. Steve feels Billy, hot and heavy against his hip. Squirms. Pinches his side with a giggle.

The Byers’ bathroom is small. Too crowded. They don’t care. Steve presses him up against the counter, feels Billy’s hands hot on his hips. He cradles Billy’s face between his hands, kisses him like a prayer. 

“I thought I lost you for good.”

Billy holds him close, swipes his thumbs over Steve’s cheeks. Brushes away the tears he finds there. Kisses him slow and sugary sweet. Licks into Steve’s mouth, his fingers tangled in his hair. “Can’t get rid of me that easy, princess.”

They rut against each other, sharing soft whimpers in the quiet space between them. Swallow each other’s moans, bruising each other with heated kisses. Steve runs his hands up under Billy’s shirt, flinches when Billy freezes. Feels the mangled skin beneath his fingertips. 

“Steve, you don’t have to -”

Steve is tugging the shirt up anyway. Sinks to his knees. Smooths his fingers over the scar tissue. The damage runs across the entirety of Billy’s torso. The once smooth, tanned skin now forever imprinted with a brutal reminder.

He presses sweet, open-mouthed kisses along the uneven skin, gazing up at Billy with a soft smile. “Still beautiful. Always.”

Billy sucks in a ragged breath, tears pooling in his eyes. He lets them spill over. A sight to see, after having watched him try to will the tears away so many times in the past. Steve gets his belt buckle undone. Goes to work on the button and zipper of his jeans. 

“ _Steve_.” It’s nothing more than a breathy whisper. Steve takes him into his mouth, down to the hilt, breathing easily through his nose. Revels in the feel of Billy, hard and hot and _alive_ , slipping between his lips. 

Billy doesn’t take his eyes off of him. Just runs his fingers through Steve’s hair, whispering what could be praises or prayers, or both, under his breath. Steve doesn’t let up, not until Billy is spilling into his mouth with a soft cry, every muscle in his body going taught.

There’s only a split-second pause, Billy taking several deep, steady breaths, before he’s hauling Steve to his feet. Fumbles with his zipper.

“Wait, wait. I wanna - wanna just -” Steve breaks off, tucking his face into Billy’s neck. Grinds down onto Billy’s thigh, using the soft skin of his neck to muffle his whines.

Threading his fingers through Billy’s curls, Steve holds on tight. Lets Billy help him grind down, basks in the soft praises Billy whispers into his ear. Rolls his hips against him, face red with exertion. Until Steve is there too. Finds his release with a broken sob, soaking his jeans. Billy covers his mouth with his own, smothering the sound. Steals it to keep for himself. 

Soft promises of _I love you, I love you, I’ll always love you_ fall from Steve’s lips without him fully realizing it. Billy holds him close, pressed tightly against him, like he’s guarding his most prized possession. 

In a way, he is. Billy owns Steve’s heart. Always will. Steve had come to terms with that long ago.

“We should let someone else use the bathroom, princess,” Billy murmurs after a while. He’s running his hands up and down Steve’s back. Steve is half-asleep, his head resting on his shoulder.

“Screw ‘em.”

Billy chuckles, tucks a lock of Steve’s hair behind his ear. Helps him look a little more presentable, then guides them both out of the bathroom. Steve is too tired to acknowledge the knowing smiles that Nancy and Robin give them as they pass the kitchen, but the tips of Billy’s ears turn red.

They make a pallet on the living room floor, along with the rest of the kids. Hopper no longer bothers hiding the fact that he stays in Joyce’s room more often than not, heading back with her without a fuss. Nancy and Jonathan disappear into his room. Robin’s girlfriend, Elaine, picks her up soon after.

There’s a movie still playing softly in the background, around one in the morning. Steve holds Billy close, the other boy’s face resting against his chest. Plays with his soft curls, smiling into the darkness.

“I have to leave tomorrow.”

Steve’s heart sinks. “I know.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I don’t want you to, either.”

Billy looks up at him, his face barely illuminated by the light of the television. “You could come with me.”

“To California?”

Billy rolls his eyes. “No, Alaska.” Snorts. Pulls the hand Steve is using to play with his hair to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. “Yeah, sweetheart. To California. If you’d want to.”

“Billy,” Steve murmurs. Takes his hand, tangles their fingers together. “I’d follow you anywhere.”

A long stretch of silence. Billy just looks up at him, those pretty blue eyes burning into Steve’s. 

“How far?” Billy asks, his voice soft.

“To the ends of the earth. If you asked.”

Soft kisses are pressed to each of Steve’s fingertips. Billy places the last one on his wrist. “Well. I guess I’m asking.”

“And I guess I’m accepting.”

There isn’t any debate. No questions. Not after everything, after almost losing Billy completely. Steve will dive headfirst into anything with Billy, so long as he never has to be apart from him again. He can’t continue to function without his other half. Not anymore.

In the early hours of the morning, they pack up Billy’s car with snacks for the road - leftovers from the night before. Max stands on the porch, looking out at the yard with sad eyes.

“Why so glum, kiddo?” Billy asks, ruffling her hair. 

“I wish you could stay,” Max sighs, her eyes fixed on the ground.

Billy levels with her, giving her a gentle smile. “Hey, come on. I’ll pay for you to fly out soon. A whole week, maybe two. Or three. Whatever you want, kid.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Max smiles, then hugs her brother tight. Doesn’t look like she’s going to let go, until she does. She wipes her eyes quickly, before heading back into the house. They’ve said their goodbyes to most of the others, but Joyce and Hopper linger on the porch.

“You boys drive safe,” Joyce tells them, giving them each a hug as she does. “And call when you get there. Let us know you made it in one piece.”

Hopper gives Steve a firm handshake, and claps Billy on the shoulder. “Come visit your dear old parents every now and then. We’ll be around.”

It’s a bittersweet goodbye, but Steve knows it’s not forever. They’ll come back, every now and again, like Hopper said. But Steve knows this will be good for them both. It’s been good for Billy, and Steve needs to experience that, too.

They have to stop by Robin’s place on their way out of town to get the rest of Steve’s belongings. He’s been crashing with her and Elaine for the last few months. His heart squeezes sadly when Robin hugs him tight, hiccuping against his shoulder.

“I’ll miss you, ladykiller,” she says. Pulls back and gives him a wobbly smile. 

“I’m gonna miss you too, nerd.” Steve hands her the keys to the beemer. “Take care of her for me.”

And then they’re off, Billy and Steve. Cruising towards a skyline that they’ll never truly reach. _California Dreamin’_ trickles from the speakers. The windows are down, the warm July air kissing their skin. It whips Billy’s curls around his face, and Steve brushes them back with a smile.

“I think this’ll be good,” Steve says after a while. “It feels right.”

Billy looks over at him, the sun giving his skin a hazy glow. Takes Steve’s hand. Kisses his palm. His smile is warm, soft.

“Yeah, princess. It does.”

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to come cry with me on tumblr at [hartigays](https://hartigays.tumblr.com/)


End file.
